The five greatest fights of all time

Hamed-Kelley yes, a wild ride.

 

Ali - Frazier 3
Holyfield - Bowe 1
De La Hoya - Mosley 1
Chavez - Taylor 1
Duran - Barkley

 

#5 Benitez vs Leonard , not a war, but a beautiful chess match. If one wants to see high level boxing , this is the one to watch.
#4 Pryor vs Arguello one. 14 rds of will, skills, and endurance , Pryor's signature victory. But also the fight that started his decline because of the ravages of Cocaine in Miami in the 1980's
# 3 Duran vs Leonard Brawl in Montreal. Duran proved he was one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport, by beating one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport .

#2 Hearns vs Leonard, the signature win for Leonard, against the most physically gifted and imposing welterweight in history.
#1 Ali vs Frazier 1. The fight of the century.
Two prime combatants, two skilled combatants, both undeafeated, for 15rds, for the Heavyweight Championship of the World. Madison Square Gardens,in New York city , political and racial problems and a war in Vietnam dividing the country.
A personal dislike between the two, Frank Sinatra becomes a photographer. A fight that actually surpassed its expectations , cemented by Frazier's knock down of Ali with his signature left hook in the 15th rd?
How could this not be the Greatest fight in Boxing history.

 

OUTSTANDING list! The only changes I might make are the following:

1) Swapping places for #2 and #3--Duran's performance against Leonard in their first fight was as great a performance as I've ever seen in any fighter. And Sugar Ray showed INCREDIBLE toughness--NOBODY battled Duran in the trenches and came out alive but Leonard damn near came away with the victory--it was VERY close!!

2) I'd have to put the "Thrilla in Manila" ahead of Leonard-Benitez. That fight might have been more "artistic" as both fighters were close to or at their respective peaks. But Ali-Frazier III was life and death!! They KNEW this was for the championship of "each other" and consequently it became an all-out war!! Incredible ebbs and flows--one for the ages!!

Ultimately--nothing tops the FOTC--it's still IMHO the biggest sporting event of my lifetime. There's been nothing like it before or since. And the fight not only lived up to the billing it surpassed it--which seems almost impossible given how massive the buildup was worldwide. (It's estimated that 300 million people watched that fight--which was roughly 9% of the WORLD's population at that time!! Absolutely staggering!!)

 

I really thought of having "Manila " at # 5, but so many others included that fight in their top five I decided to go with a very underrated gem of a fight Leonard vs Benitez. ( At least for fans who love the cerebral side of boxing as well as the aggressive. )
Its one of my favorite fights, and one I suggest to new fans of the sport, as a comparison of what boxing used to look like as opposed to most of the" world class boxing " of the last 10-15 yrs.
Leonard and Benitez both demonstrated excellent jab usage, were both consistently in position to immediately counter each other, excellent upper body movement which assisted with their defense and offense. And from a Leonard, getting aggressive at the right time for the win.
It was also for 15rds.
Also, I don't have one issue with you preferring Duran vs Leonard in Montreal at two.
It really was one of the greatest performances in boxing history by Duran.
Especially when considering the ATG he was facing was in his prime.
This wasn't Mayweather claiming to be "The Greatest " by facing the shells of Hoya, Mosley, Judah, Cotto, Pac , Marquez or an Alvarez who is more media creation than great fighter.
Duran beat a great fighter while he was still great.
No denying the facts...

 

Pep - Saddler !!
Zale - Graziano I & II (gonna rate them as one as one)
Moore - Durelle I
Ali - Foreman ( not my favorite fight but historically huge)
Frazier - Ali !

Honorable mention the best fight I ever saw live was Chacon - Limon !V.

Edit - Just saw it was limited to filmed fights. I n that case I'll put Chacon - Limon in place of Pep-Saddler and Leonard Hearns ! in place of Zale Graziano,

 

Morales-in jin chi was a damn good fight. A top 5 would be super hard to come up with imo.

 

Morales was probably the most entertaining fighter of the 00s.

Barrera 1 & 3
Chi
Chavez
Pacquiao 1-2
Diaz

 

Carlos Hernandez was a good fight as well as Paulie Ayala. I enjoyed those fights though Morales won clearly.

 

There's a lot of good mentions. Nice thread!